The rivalry between the mascots Cosmo and Swoop is driven by the battle between those who bleed blue and those who bleed red. The cougar and red-tailed hawk are the creatures that stand for BYU and Utah, a hatred that goes beyond the time that these mascots were created.

Students from both schools often ask which mascot is better.

Cougars are territorial beasts of prey, whereas red-tailed hawks are more passive, the Web site Wikipedia.org reads. If their nest is being attacked, they flee rather than defend it. The cougar stays and protects what is most important. It doesn’t flee in the threat of danger, but sticks it out and fights.

Cougars feast on birds, elk, deer and bighorn sheep. Red-tailed hawks eat insects and small mammals and rep-tiles. They are harassed by other birds including crows, magpies, owls and songbirds.

Cougars are powerful sprinters that can swim and climb tough terrain. Red-tailed hawks are slow and awk-ward on their feet, but can fly much quicker.

Through the characteristics these two animals possess the cougar and red-tailed hawk are the perfect animals picked for each of the schools. They match up well with the same characteristics that each BYU and Utah stu-dent emulates.

In comparing Cosmo and Swoop, the actual university mascots, Cosmo is older and wiser. The cougar was born in 1953, while Swoop was introduced to Ute fans in 1996.

Cosmo is an original mascot. The name of Swoop was copied from the Philadelphia Eagles mascot of the NFL, also called Swoop.

Cosmo was named to the Capital One Mascot Bowl team in 2007 and is currently No. 8 in the 2008 bowl. Swoop has never been on a bowl team and isn’t even in the top 12 for this year’s competition. It would seem Cosmo is loved a lot more by BYU than Swoop is by Utah; the rankings of the top college mascots speak clearly.

Cosmo stands for spirit, power, and strength and is loved by those who bleed blue.

“He demonstrates the spirit felt by the student body,” said Jonathan McCullongs, a sophomore at BYU majoring in mechanical engineering.

Cosmo’s strength makes him fortified and invincible with unbreakable mental strength keeping the crowd posi-tive and energetic.

“He fires up the crowd and sets the tone for football games,” said Melissa Sharp, a junior majoring in exercise science.

Many fans of both schools ask themselves, "What does Swoop stand for?"

Evidence suggests the better mascot is Cosmo, but now it is up to the football teams to determine the best school in this year’s historical rivalry game. BYU has taken home the honor the past two years. If BYU is anything like its mascot, it should demolish and eat Utah’s red-tail hawks on Nov. 22.



Copyright Brigham Young University 20 Nov 2008